Skip Counting Teaching Resources
Explore printable skip counting worksheets and skip counting charts for your elementary classroom to help students understand number patterns and build a strong math foundation.
Created by teachers for teachers like you, every resource in this math teaching collection has been reviewed by the expert teacher team at Teach Starter to ensure it's ready for your lesson plan and your students. Aligned with both the Common Core and TEKS curriculum standards for math, each printable and digital resource has been carefully selected to be included in this collection.
Explore digital and printable resources designed around skip counting by 2, 5, 10 and more.
New to teaching this section of the math curriculum, or just looking for some fresh ideas for how to teach skip counting? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Skip Counting? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Are you teaching students how to skip count and looking for a simple way to explain the concept? Here's a definition from our teacher team to help!
Skip counting is a method of counting that involves adding or subtracting a specific number other than 1 to or from the previous number in a list.
We call it skip counting because we skip' numbers in this math technique rather than naming off numbers one by one.
For example, when skip counting by 2s, you may start with 1, but you don't move on to 2. Instead, you move directly to 3, then 5, then 7, and so on. We are counting, but we are "skipping" over the numbers 2, 4, 6, and so on.
When skip counting, we can count by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, and so on. This counting method can start at 0 or 1 or further down the number line.
How to Teach Skip Counting and Why It's Important
Skip counting may sound like it's meant to make math fun — and there's certainly fun to be had in the engaging activities our teacher team has created for your classroom! — but this skill plays an important role in building number sense and laying the groundwork for young students to be successful at multiplication later in elementary school.
The goal is to help students better understand the number system and how numbers relate to each other. By "skipping" the numbers, kids can grasp the concept of quantities increasing or decreasing by a constant value.
Skip counting is also crucial in helping students to recognize patterns in numbers and develop their fluency with numbers.
But how do you teach skip counting? Here are some of our teacher team's tips on how to teach skip counting:
- Practice Skip Counting From Different Starting Points — You can skip count from 0, from 1, from 5, or just about anywhere. By starting at different points in the number line, students become more familiar with a variety of numbers and start to recognize patterns.
- Count Backward and Forward — Counting isn't just a forward process. It can go backward, too!
- Make It Fun — Practice skip counting regularly with your class using any of the fun skip counting activities created by our teacher team, from puzzles to scoot and counts. (Keep reading for ways to make this happen!)
Skip Counting Activities — Fun Ideas From Our Teacher Team
This collection is full of games, task cards and more to make skip counting fun, but we didn't stop there! Here are some fun ideas from our teacher team for teaching skip counting to inspire you!
- Bring Out the Beach Ball — Play a game of pass the ball while students practice their skip counting. Assign one student to start, and hand them the beach ball. Provide them with a number and the multiple (for example, if you're practicing skip counting by 10s, you might start with 10). Students then pass the ball to one another, and the student with the ball must provide the next number in the sequence.
- Play a Count on Circle Game — Have your students stand in a circle. Assign a student to start the game. Call out a number, then have students go around in the circle skip counting until everyone gets a chance.
- Take Advantage of Your "Lost" Time — Lining students up to go to specials? Before you leave the classroom, you can practice skip counting — go down the line and have them skip count forward and backward.
- Pop It — Grab a popping bubble toy to reinforce their skip counting skills! Students can push down on the bubbles by multiples.
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Counting Mixed Coins Differentiated Worksheets
Download differentiated printable worksheets and use skip counting and addition skills to determine the value of each coin collection.
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Christmas Printables - Math Skip Counting Puzzles
Grab a set of 10 printable Christmas puzzles to help students skip count in the classroom.
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Skip Counting Puzzles
Practice skip counting and identifying multiples of numbers with printable skip counting puzzles for kids.
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Counting by 5's Maze
Get to the party by skip counting to 100 with our counting by 5’s worksheet.
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Skipping Through 120 - Worksheet
A worksheet to practice skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
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Skip Counting by 1, 2, 5 and 10 Sorting Activity
Set up this sorting activity as a small group or rotation task for your students to practise thier skip counting skills.
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Skip Counting Fishing Interactive Activity
Assign this fun fishing game to help your students practice their skip counting skills using digital technology.
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Skip Counting Exit Tickets
Assess student understanding of skip counting within 1000 by 5s 10s and 100s.
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Skip Counting Worksheets (Complete the Series)
Use this set of skip counting worksheets to check student understanding of skip counting in increasing intervals of 5, 10 and 100, by finishing a series.
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Skip Counting Worksheets (Fill in the Blanks)
Use this set of skip counting worksheets to check student understanding of skip counting in increasing intervals of 5, 10 and 100.
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I Have Who Has: Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5, & 10
Teaching skip counting? Introduce your students to our I Have Who Has - style whole class games with this fun and interactive card activity!
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Skip Counting Worksheets - Dot Day Activities
Use this cute caterpillar themed worksheet for your students to practice and improve their skip counting skills!
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Counting by 1s Picture Puzzles
Use this fun sorting activity for your students to practice ordering numbers in sequential order starting at a number other than 1.
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10 More, 10 Less, 100 More, 100 Less — I Have, Who Has Game
Find the number ten more than, ten less than, one hundred more than, and one hundred less than the given number in this fun whole-class game!
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Skip Counting by 10s I Have, Who Has Game
Use this fast-paced whole class game to help your students practise skip counting by tens.
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10 More, 10 Less - Differentiated Mazes
Delight your students with this maze challenge, to practice calculating 10 more or 10 less than a value within 120.
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10 More, 10 Less Coloring Worksheets (Differentiated)
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10 More 10 Less Sorting Card Game
Engage your students and have them practice reading statements about values 10 more or 10 less, then and determining if the statement is accurate.
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Printable Skip Counting Worksheets and Charts
Practice and review skip counting by 2,3,4,5,and 10 with a pack of printable skip counting worksheets and anchor charts.
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100 Days and Still Poppin! Counting to 100 Worksheet
Add to your stockpile of 100th Day of School ideas with a Pop-It-themed 100th Day of School worksheet.
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Skip Counting to 100 - Card Game
Practice skip counting by 2, 5, and 10 with this card game for small groups.
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Skip Counting by 2, 5, & 10 – Worksheet
Practice counting by 2, 5, and 10 with this skip counting worksheet.
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Math Mazes (Skip Counting)
Skip count your way through 3 printable math mazes that focus on number sequencing.
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Count the Dimes Worksheet
Use skip counting and addition skills to determine the number of dimes needed for a given amount.
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Counting by 10's Maze
Find the fun and learn to skip count by 10s up to 100 with this engaging maze activity!
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Connect the Dots Worksheet — Skip Counting by Twos (Car-Themed)
Use this printable connect-the-dots worksheet with a car theme for students to demonstrate skip counting by twos.
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Complex Dot-to-dot – Skip Counting by Fives (Turtle) – Worksheet
A complex dot-to-dot where students demonstrate skip counting by fives.
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Complex Dot-to-dot – Skip Counting by Sevens (Wolf) – Worksheet
A complex dot-to-dot where students demonstrate skip counting by sevens.
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Complex Dot-to-Dot – Skip Counting by Threes (Castle) – Worksheet
A complex dot-to-dot where students demonstrate skip counting by threes.
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Complex Dot-to-dot – Skip Counting by Twos (Seahorses) – Worksheet
A complex dot-to-dot where students demonstrate skip counting by twos.
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Skip Counting to 120 Task Cards
Practice skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s with a set of 20 task cards that go up to 120.
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Scoot and Count: Skip Counting by 10s
A set of 20 skip counting task cards to use as a whole-class scoot activity.